From his balcony in Veitshöchheim (district of Würzburg), Rudolf Gabler has a wonderful view of the Main valley. He looks at the railway bridge several times a day and watches the fast trains on the Würzburg-Hannover ICE line disappearing into the tunnel. He has a lot in common with the high-speed route. He planned the power supply for the route and was there when an ICE test train reached the record speed of 406.9 km/h near Gemünden in 1988. “We could have driven a lot faster, but that wasn’t what the politicians wanted,” says Rudolf Gabler.
The 76-year-old proudly talks about that time and shows samples of power lines that he has kept at his dining table. The overhead lines on railway lines have changed from being very thick to very delicate today. Until 1990 Rudolf Gabler was employed by the railway. His career went up to the director of the Federal Railways, then the trained engineer for energy management and power plant technology resigned and switched to a local electricity supplier.
The Würzburg-Fulda high-speed line has been closed for construction work since June
The high-speed route, which is a good two kilometers as the crow flies from Gabler’s apartment in Veitshöchheim, has been in continuous operation for more than 30 years. During the day the fast trains run and at night the rails belong to freight traffic. It’s been quiet on the track since mid-June. At most, Rudolf Gabler sees a construction crew laying new tracks or laying gravel.
The section to Fulda is currently closed and the last section between Würzburg and Hanover, which is now being modernized. The federal government is investing a total of around 215 million euros in 165 kilometers of new tracks, 72 points and the technology. At the same time, according to railway information, 128,000 tons of ballast will be exchanged on the route.
Is it even necessary to close the ICE route?
The railway expert does not understand that sections of the route have to be completely closed for construction work. “The high-speed line is designed for single-track operation with a cornering speed of a good 100 kilometers per hour,” he says, referring to the many crossing points, depots and work train tracks that were specially built for single-track operation. “The switches and signaling devices are in place. That’s absolutely safe,” says Gabler. The fact that the railways are closing one of their most important connections right now, when the main traffic axes on the rails are hopelessly overloaded, is something he cannot believe.
The journey from Würzburg to Hamburg currently takes a good five hours – normally it is four hours. The trains are diverted via Gemünden – a route that is already heavily traveled anyway. “The longer journey time and the additional load on the Maintal route would not be necessary because both are possible on the high-speed route: construction work and train traffic,” says Gabler.
Deutsche Bahn: “Blocking time would sometimes quadruple with single-track closures”
Deutsche Bahn does not see it that way. “Since the route is in operation around the clock, the closure time with single-track closures would sometimes quadruple,” writes a railway spokeswoman. And on top of that, during single-track track closures, slow-moving sections would have to be set up in the opposite track to ensure occupational safety.
“On the route there is a ban on encounters between passenger and freight traffic, which does not allow for single-track track closures.” The total closure is the best option because it is a compromise between the demands of the transport company and the technical feasibility of the construction process, according to the railway spokeswoman.
“Bahn boss Mehdorn wanted to go public with the company in 2008, come hell or high water. That’s why everything was worn out.”
Rudolf Gabler, Bundesbahndirektor a. D.–
Rudolf Gabler has another point of criticism. It fits in with the current discussion about the ailing and decrepit infrastructure of Deutsche Bahn, about train cancellations, delays, and all the difficulties that travelers experience every day somewhere in Germany when traveling by train. “Bahn boss Mehdorn wanted to go public with the company in 2008, come hell or high water – and that’s why everyone drove to wear and tear,” the former director of the Federal Railways is convinced.
Did Deutsche Bahn save on the maintenance of the high-speed line?
Gabler knows departments that have been so thinly staffed that they can no longer carry out ongoing maintenance. In his area in particular, the maintenance of the contact lines, massive savings have been made, he says. “The ongoing maintenance was not carried out,” says the former director of the Federal Railways, annoyed.
Rudolf Gabler also cannot understand that the modernization of the Würzburg-Hanover ICE route is now seen as a replacement investment in the railways. According to the law, replacement investments must be financed by the federal government, i.e. by the taxpayers. While the costs for maintenance and repairs have to be paid by the railway itself.
Railroad spokeswoman: Maintenance alone is no longer enough
The railway spokeswoman resists: “Since the high-speed line was put into operation more than 30 years ago, we have of course carried out regular maintenance measures again and again. These follow specified deadlines and are strictly monitored by our supervisory authority,” she says and lists the relevant activities: the maintenance and inspection of Rails, sleepers and points, grinding the rails, changing the contact wire on the overhead line or tamping the ballast to ensure the tracks are stable.
With the advanced age of the systems, however, pure maintenance is no longer sufficient, the spokeswoman continues to argue. “Since the entire system has to be renewed after a certain period of use, it is a replacement investment.”
What is the position of the Pro Bahn passenger association on the closed ICE route?
Karl-Peter Naumann from the Pro Bahn passenger association praised the train. He agrees with Rudolf Gabler in theory, but also says: “The work would then take twice as long.” The fact that a route has to be closed is not nice, but “it is best to complete it in one go”.
The French, says Naumann, would proceed very differently. The railway lines are being built there at night, because then no freight trains are running. In Germany, there are no such nightly breaks. The fact that he now has to plan a good 60 minutes more for the Würzburg-Hannover train journey doesn’t bother him. “It’s also a pleasure to drive from Fulda to Würzburg am Main.”
From October 17th, trains will again run regularly from Frankfurt to Würzburg. On the section to Fulda, the railway is expected to continue working until December 10th.
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